Hard to top Hardtops

[kokopelliTim]

Well, I was sewing on my bimini this week and discovered that I am now patching some patches.
The sun is never kind to material after years of exposure.

So, wanting a functional, practical and long term approach to all systems on my vessel, I am seriously looking at Hard to top hardtops in Florida.

They seem good, solid and yet not too heavy.
They seem "easy" to attach and not too much upkeep.

But my major question is how they survive in high winds and hurricanes!

I always remove my bimini and strap the bows together when hurricane force winds come this way.

For those who have hard to top hardtops and are in hurricane zones; how do these structures perform?
Do you remove the hardtop?
Strap firmly to your boat?
Just leave alone and they survive well?

Also, any particular or specific issues you have discovered since you purchased a hard top?
Anything you would do differently?

Are you pleased with this company?

Thanks for your input.

Tim

 

[O C Diver]

I had a center console with a large hard top (10' x 12'). Without any curtains around it, it was pretty immune to the wind. Went through several hurricanes with it on land. Watching it flex during the storms was unnerving. We spent a lot of effort properly fastening it to the boat with aluminum supports and backing plates on all the attachment points including embedding them in the hard top during construction of the top. Considering the square footage of the top, a strong enough wind catching the boat pitching in a slip might still have taken it off.

Ted

 

[mvweebles]

Here's a system that re-uses your bimini frame. I seem to recall someone posting cost was around $2k but just a guess. Not cheap, but less than a replacement bimini and will last a long time.

Tech Info | Hard To Top

Peter

 

[Montenido]

Subscribed to this thread. I might do this to my boat.

Cheers, Bill

 

[Tom.B]

The best I can do is this:
A dock neighbor got one over the Spring. I wandered over to look at it. It looks okay, but I will be honest, it looks cheap and sort of fitted together haphazardly. Like there wasn't a "kit" and the installers had to make things up along the way. It could be best described as a hard bimini rather than a hard top. Like a bimini, it is only as strong as the frame. In this case, they used the existing frame to attach the top to, however, without actually getting to fiddle with it, I can't say how strong the individual panels are or how much wind they can take. Personally, I don't see how it could be substantially stronger. The connection points just don't seem beefy enough. I wouldn't trust it in a hurricane, that's for sure. And to that point, removing it will be a LOT of bolt and screw removal. Finally, and only a personal opinion, I really don't like the look. The flat and square top doesn't add to the lines of the boat and I never thought it looked very good when Chuck (from Trawler Beach House) put it on his boat. However, at the end of the day, I would suspect it would age slower than a fabric top. That does have some appeal to it for sure. Good luck. Let us know what you decide.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

I would love to replace mine with a hardtop. Mine would have to be custom made as I have an arch. Do you take that off or work around it?

Then the canvas windows on the side would be replaced with sliders. The big problem I am running into this season is lots of mold on the underneath. Yeah PNW stuff and I am outside in the weather.

 

[Comodave]

We have had 2 of the hardtotop hardtops now. We put one on a previous boat and one on our current boat. The one on our current boat is a large one and we ran it back to the arch and attached it to the arch. We really like them. They are fairly easy to install. We like that they are translucent so the bridge is brighter than with the canvas bimini. We live in Michigan so I can’t guess how they would hold up during a hurricane. On the current boat we did replace the bimini bows and went from 1” to 1.25” S/S bows to make the bows stronger. It is now rock solid and doesn’t even wiggle. The new bows (4) cost about $800 to get them fabricated. We also got keder rails bent to match the camber of the hardtop and we attached the aluminum keder rails to the hardtop. The keder rails makes it simple to make side curtains since the top rails are straight except for the front rail. In the front and the first oanel on each side I made patterns for the curtains and sent them to a fabricator in New Jersey and he made EZ2CY panels. They are wonderful and as clear as glass. The center 3 panels hinge up and I made straps to hold them up against the hardtop. We made the rest of the enclosure ourselves. Overall we are very satisfied with the hardtotop tops. On a previous boat we had a custom hardtop made for the cockpit and it was in the neighborhood of $5000. It was maybe 1/3 the size of our current boats hardtotop which cost about $2000 and $800 for the new bows. Plus the fact that the shipping costs for a hardtotop is way lower than a custom hardtop. The custom hardtop was almost $2000 for shipping alone. The hardtotop comes in a box that has to go by truck, except it is made in Michigan so we picked ours up and shipping was just the cost of gas. We had the bows fabricated in a Detroit suburb and I picked them up in our SUV at the time. Strapped them on top and drove home.

 

[Comodave]

I would love to replace mine with a hardtop. Mine would have to be custom made as I have an arch. Do you take that off or work around it?

Then the canvas windows on the side would be replaced with sliders. The big problem I am running into this season is lots of mold on the underneath. Yeah PNW stuff and I am outside in the weather.

Our bimini went from the bimini down to the hardtop on the sundeck. It was low enough that my head would touch when I went up and down. When we put the hardtotop on I ran it to the arch so there is lots of headroom now. I used EZ2CY panels across the front but you could use them on the sides also with a bit of ingenuity.

 

[koliver]

About 10 years in now on this:
https://www.costco.ca/acay-all-season-carport-with-gutter.product.100091066.html

The plastic panels are the same as the hardtotop panels. I suspect they won't go another 10, but time will tell.

My sunbrella bimini is being replaced this winter. the new top is ready to install, but with the boat in its shelter, that won't happen till it comes out in the spring. The old sunbrella went over 30 yrs, but was not exposed to the sun 24/7.

My sunbrella slide toppers on the Motorhome went 13 yrs, exposed most of the year and in the desert sun every winter and an unknown amount in it s first few years.

Can't say the hardtotop panels would actually outlast sunbrella, but will wait and see on the carport.

 

[kokopelliTim]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I got a quote from Hardtotop for about $3k for my 29' trawler. A space about 12' long and 9' wide.

Not a bad price really.
But being the frugal guy that i am, I became challenged to look around to see if I could find the material to create what I wanted.
Since they were going to send me a kit and i had to put it all together; perhaps I could create my own "kit".

So looking, I have found a few companies that sell polycarbonate multiwall panels and accessories for about $1k for materials for the job I want to do.
The big issue is shipping...

https://www.palram.com/us/product/sunlite-diy-polycarbonate-multi-wall/

https://www.ecologictechnologiesinc.com/multi_wall_polycarbonate_sheets.html

So I am still looking. Perhaps Home Depot might come in handy. Shall travel there later this week.

I am still considering it all and hope to perhaps have a hardtop by the Spring.

As for heavy winds/hurricanes, I have decided to place straps fore and aft and then 2-3 port to starboard as part of my hurricane prep. Strapping the entire top and frame to the cleats on the deck.

We shall see.

 

[mvweebles]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I got a quote from Hardtotop for about $3k for my 29' trawler. A space about 12' long and 9' wide.

Not a bad price really.
But being the frugal guy that i am, I became challenged to look around to see if I could find the material to create what I wanted.
Since they were going to send me a kit and i had to put it all together; perhaps I could create my own "kit".

So looking, I have found a few companies that sell polycarbonate multiwall panels and accessories for about $1k for materials for the job I want to do.
The big issue is shipping...

https://www.palram.com/us/product/sunlite-diy-polycarbonate-multi-wall/

https://www.ecologictechnologiesinc.com/multi_wall_polycarbonate_sheets.html

So I am still looking. Perhaps Home Depot might come in handy. Shall travel there later this week.

I am still considering it all and hope to perhaps have a hardtop by the Spring.

As for heavy winds/hurricanes, I have decided to place straps fore and aft and then 2-3 port to starboard as part of my hurricane prep. Strapping the entire top and frame to the cleats on the deck.

We shall see.

I purchased 8' x 4' polycarbonate sheets in Mexico where they are commonly used for pergolas (at least in Yucatan). They were relatively expensive - around $125/sheet. I actually found them at a Home Depot, but I'm sure there were other sources. Not sure about sourcing something longer than 8-feet though. Probably $400-$500 for the skin alone, not including the frame, stringers, and of course the edge-trim pieces. My guess is that by the time the dust settles, you will either end up with a DIY/visually compromised end product, or paying yourself $0.12/hour for the time spent against savings.

The above said, if you find the various raw materials, please post - the edge trim looks like the key to a professional looking install

Peter

 

[Pete Meisinger]

Do you have air conditioning to your flybridge? This might be a consideration for you before you make the change.

pete

 

[Comodave]

Our harttotop hardtop has custom bent trim around the edge. They take the camber of the top from the measurements you provide them and bend the aluminum trim so it will fit properly. I don’t know how you could DIY that. You might save a bit of money but if the top isn’t bent to match the curvature of the bimini frame it will look like crap, IMO.

 

[mvweebles]

Our harttotop hardtop has custom bent trim around the edge. They take the camber of the top from the measurements you provide them and bend the aluminum trim so it will fit properly. I don’t know how you could DIY that. You might save a bit of money but if the top isn’t bent to match the curvature of the bimini frame it will look like crap, IMO.

I guess that's what I was trying to say in too many words. When I first looked at the pictures of Comodave's boat and then the HardToTop website, that trim was clearly what set it apart. No trim, might as well have a sheet of plywood. At least you could put trim on that.

Peter

 

[Comodave]

I guess that's what I was trying to say in too many words. When I first looked at the pictures of Comodave's boat and then the HardToTop website, that trim was clearly what set it apart. No trim, might as well have a sheet of plywood. At least you could put trim on that.

Peter

I agree 100% with what you were saying. That is why I added my post. But that is what sets it apart and makes it looks better, or finished.

 

[Montenido]

After reading this thread I sent in my info to Hard-To-Top and received a bid for my boat. Having decided to pull the trigger and place my order, I found that the company would not return my emails or phone calls. Today, I finally reached a live person who told me that the company was going out of business due to a shortage of the polycarbonate materials used in the roofs. Damn!

I really need a new bimini and don't really want to go the sunbrella route again. Are there any other sources for lightweight hard tops?

Cheers, Bill

 

[lipets]

I fabricated out of core covered with fiberglass and it will fit 3 solar panels.

It's done but haven't installed it yet due to Corvid19


I posted pics a while back if you search under my name

 

[rslifkin]

I really need a new bimini and don't really want to go the sunbrella route again. Are there any other sources for lightweight hard tops?

If it doesn't need to hold much weight (as in, nobody standing on it, no particularly heavy equipment mounted up top) it should be possible to build a pretty light weight top out of foam cored fiberglass. That's what I'm planning for mine at some point.

 

[Comodave]

After reading this thread I sent in my info to Hard-To-Top and received a bid for my boat. Having decided to pull the trigger and place my order, I found that the company would not return my emails or phone calls. Today, I finally reached a live person who told me that the company was going out of business due to a shortage of the polycarbonate materials used in the roofs. Damn!

I really need a new bimini and don't really want to go the sunbrella route again. Are there any other sources for lightweight hard tops?

Cheers, Bill

Too bad. We have one on our current boat and had one on a previous boat and really like them. Another victim of the current situation. Sorry to see them go out of business.

 

[kokopelliTim]

That is a sad turn of events to see this company close. Every time I turn around this past year (and I fear into the future) good places are closing.


So now it seems I shall have to revert to a plan to build my own hard top out of polycarbonate from Home Depot.



Yes, the molding on the edges will not be as clean and pretty as hardtotop....but such is life.


Tim

 

[mvweebles]

That is a sad turn of events to see this company close. Every time I turn around this past year (and I fear into the future) good places are closing.


So now it seems I shall have to revert to a plan to build my own hard top out of polycarbonate from Home Depot.



Yes, the molding on the edges will not be as clean and pretty as hardtotop....but such is life.


Tim

If they are closing up shop, maybe they'd be okay divulging how they did the edge trim. Possible it's off-shelf from a small supplier and not a custom part.